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So my 2021 Badlands started throwing the "Drive under 20 miles. Get Sta-Bar Disconnect Serviced Now" message.
I found this very helpful thread: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/my-sta-bar-saga-water-ingress.88457/
I have 37K on my 2.5 year old Bronco and when I purchased it I bought the Premium ESP plan to have the peace of mind of an extended warranty.
My dealer diagnosed the issue with my Bronco as showing DTC 103A and with corrosion found in C1295A & C1295B.
EXACTLY matching the TSB
Part 2B325 (which is the "basic" part number - something I learned about during this) is the wiring harness that connects to the Sta-Bar Disconnect and to another harness that connects to a CHCM module (I think I got that right).
Because the corrosion was found in the connectors between the harness and the actual Sta-Bar disconnect mechanism the TSB directs the dealer to replace both the harness and the Sta-Bar disconnect to complete the service.
Since the connectors C1295A & C1295B are part of the wiring harness (2B325), my dealer submitted the claim in Oasis using causal part 2B325.
Again, EXACTLY as per the TSB
Oasis came back and said it was not covered. (my dealer provided a screen shot for me)
Even though, in the TSB it states that it is eligible for coverage under ESP.
Together the harness and Sta-Bar Disconnect and labor would be about $3K.
I should mention my dealer did talk to Ford and they offered to pay for 60% of the cost of repair as a courtesy since my warranty had only expired 1K miles ago. I explained that if I had not bought the ESP that I would think that was a great deal and thankfully accept it. But I had bought the ESP.
To say I was incredulous that this TSB would not be covered by ESP is an understatement.
I made some comments about this in the other thread and received a few different responses that boiled down to:
1. Get over it, it's not covered... Why? Because Ford says it's not covered. Eligible doesn't mean it's covered. ESP doesn't cover everything. It doesn't have to make sense to you.
2. Let me look into it to verify it's not covered. Looks like it's not covered. Sorry this is the case
3. That doesn't seem right. Sometimes they make mistakes and new basic part numbers don't get added to the ESP database, you should push with the ESP folks to get it covered. If the seat heating harness and module is covered why wouldn't this be covered? - @flip
So 3 very different takes. Unhelpful, Commiserating, and Challenging.
I liked option #3.
Also, at this point @Ford Motor Company contacted me back after I had reached out to them and helped start a customer service case for me.
So I called the ESP helpline directly @ 800-321-7790 and plead my case. Why was a part labeled WIRE ASY BRAKE CNTL SWITCH (no clue why it’s called that) not covered by ESP? I mean I'm no automotive engineer but I would think something with BRAKE in the name should be covered.
Like if someone got into a bad accident and it came out that Ford hadn't covered a component in the braking system that might not look good for Ford...
I explained that if I did agree to pay for part of it (as proposed by Ford), basically I was agreeing it shouldn't be covered by ESP. That if it had failed in 2.5 years (like it did this time), and installed parts have a 2 year warranty, I might be paying for it again in another 2.5 years.
Rich at the ESP helpline was VERY helpful and nice. He also seemed to agree that covering something to do with the brakes (that's not a wear part) is probably the right move.
I pushed Rich to open a case on my behalf which he did. He provided me with the reference number for that case. But he also expressed confusion about why I was calling and not my dealer. That he couldn't really do anything without the dealer making the case for me.
I think the answer is that my dealer did what they thought was the right thing. They entered the data they have been told to enter into the systems they have been told to use. They appealed my case in the way they knew how. They got Ford to make a concession and they presented the answer they got.
I wish they had a little more motivation to pursue it as vigorously as I did, but that's probably wishful thinking. We can't all have @flip as our Service Manager.
I messaged @Ford Motor Company and made the case again that they should “Fix the Glitch”
I had been in contact with the dealer a couple of times a day for a few days. After talking with the ESP hotline I had my service advisor connect me to the lady that handles warranty claims for the dealership.
I forcefully but politely explained my position and asked that she call the ESP hotline personally and discuss the case with them. She did make clear that that was not normally something they did.
A day later, I finally received a call that it was going to be covered under ESP! Great success!!
So, if you made it this far I think there are a couple of lessons learned here:
1. Ford is a big company and sometimes they have oversights that are not driven by malice but by errors of omission
2. You need to be your own advocate with your dealer and Ford (corporate, ESP, whatever)
3. Just because you get a no the first time - you don't have to accept it
4. @flip is THE MAN!!! Very helpful to me. And invested a bunch of time in helping me.
If this helps one other forum member get the value they paid for with their ESP then I am happy.
I found this very helpful thread: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/my-sta-bar-saga-water-ingress.88457/
I have 37K on my 2.5 year old Bronco and when I purchased it I bought the Premium ESP plan to have the peace of mind of an extended warranty.
My dealer diagnosed the issue with my Bronco as showing DTC 103A and with corrosion found in C1295A & C1295B.
EXACTLY matching the TSB
Part 2B325 (which is the "basic" part number - something I learned about during this) is the wiring harness that connects to the Sta-Bar Disconnect and to another harness that connects to a CHCM module (I think I got that right).
Because the corrosion was found in the connectors between the harness and the actual Sta-Bar disconnect mechanism the TSB directs the dealer to replace both the harness and the Sta-Bar disconnect to complete the service.
Since the connectors C1295A & C1295B are part of the wiring harness (2B325), my dealer submitted the claim in Oasis using causal part 2B325.
Again, EXACTLY as per the TSB
Oasis came back and said it was not covered. (my dealer provided a screen shot for me)
Even though, in the TSB it states that it is eligible for coverage under ESP.
Together the harness and Sta-Bar Disconnect and labor would be about $3K.
I should mention my dealer did talk to Ford and they offered to pay for 60% of the cost of repair as a courtesy since my warranty had only expired 1K miles ago. I explained that if I had not bought the ESP that I would think that was a great deal and thankfully accept it. But I had bought the ESP.
To say I was incredulous that this TSB would not be covered by ESP is an understatement.
I made some comments about this in the other thread and received a few different responses that boiled down to:
1. Get over it, it's not covered... Why? Because Ford says it's not covered. Eligible doesn't mean it's covered. ESP doesn't cover everything. It doesn't have to make sense to you.
2. Let me look into it to verify it's not covered. Looks like it's not covered. Sorry this is the case
3. That doesn't seem right. Sometimes they make mistakes and new basic part numbers don't get added to the ESP database, you should push with the ESP folks to get it covered. If the seat heating harness and module is covered why wouldn't this be covered? - @flip
So 3 very different takes. Unhelpful, Commiserating, and Challenging.
I liked option #3.
Also, at this point @Ford Motor Company contacted me back after I had reached out to them and helped start a customer service case for me.
So I called the ESP helpline directly @ 800-321-7790 and plead my case. Why was a part labeled WIRE ASY BRAKE CNTL SWITCH (no clue why it’s called that) not covered by ESP? I mean I'm no automotive engineer but I would think something with BRAKE in the name should be covered.
Like if someone got into a bad accident and it came out that Ford hadn't covered a component in the braking system that might not look good for Ford...
I explained that if I did agree to pay for part of it (as proposed by Ford), basically I was agreeing it shouldn't be covered by ESP. That if it had failed in 2.5 years (like it did this time), and installed parts have a 2 year warranty, I might be paying for it again in another 2.5 years.
Rich at the ESP helpline was VERY helpful and nice. He also seemed to agree that covering something to do with the brakes (that's not a wear part) is probably the right move.
I pushed Rich to open a case on my behalf which he did. He provided me with the reference number for that case. But he also expressed confusion about why I was calling and not my dealer. That he couldn't really do anything without the dealer making the case for me.
I think the answer is that my dealer did what they thought was the right thing. They entered the data they have been told to enter into the systems they have been told to use. They appealed my case in the way they knew how. They got Ford to make a concession and they presented the answer they got.
I wish they had a little more motivation to pursue it as vigorously as I did, but that's probably wishful thinking. We can't all have @flip as our Service Manager.
I messaged @Ford Motor Company and made the case again that they should “Fix the Glitch”
I had been in contact with the dealer a couple of times a day for a few days. After talking with the ESP hotline I had my service advisor connect me to the lady that handles warranty claims for the dealership.
I forcefully but politely explained my position and asked that she call the ESP hotline personally and discuss the case with them. She did make clear that that was not normally something they did.
A day later, I finally received a call that it was going to be covered under ESP! Great success!!
So, if you made it this far I think there are a couple of lessons learned here:
1. Ford is a big company and sometimes they have oversights that are not driven by malice but by errors of omission
2. You need to be your own advocate with your dealer and Ford (corporate, ESP, whatever)
3. Just because you get a no the first time - you don't have to accept it
4. @flip is THE MAN!!! Very helpful to me. And invested a bunch of time in helping me.
If this helps one other forum member get the value they paid for with their ESP then I am happy.
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